Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward

Jojo and his toddler sister, Kayla, live with their grandparents, Mam and Pop, and the occasional presence of their drug-addicted mother, Leonie, on a farm on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Leonie is simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she's high; Mam is dying of cancer; and quiet, steady Pop tries to run the household and teach Jojo how to be a man. When the white father of Leonie's children is released from prison, she packs her kids and a friend into her car and sets out across the state for Parchman farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, on a journey rife with danger and promise.

Reviewed by BookeryBliss on

5 of 5 stars

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"Sing, Unburied, Sing" by Jesmyn Ward was an incredible read!

A skillfully crafted magical realism ghost story about a southern African American family and their haunting lives. This character driven story is primarily told by a young woman, her adolescent son, and a ghost from their ancestral past. It's a deeply profound and heartbreaking tale of death, addiction, racism and poverty that will squeeze your heart raw.

While the plot is an emotionally driven one with saddening injustice and excessively flawed characters, the narrative successfully instills empathy at the same time.

"Sing, Unburied, Sing" is a dark and beautiful tale that deserves every bit of the hype. You won't forget this book!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 June, 2019: Finished reading
  • 26 June, 2019: Reviewed